Bintan Mutiara

Dates: 19 - 21 Oct 2009

With: Agnes Chong, my self-proclaimed BFF



Reason: To re-discover the luxury of doing nothing

Website: Mutiarabintan.com

Before you conjure up images of ... Bintan resorts, beach gateway, sipping cocktails by the pool, I have to stop you.

STOP! STOP!

Because this accommodation isn't a resort. It is a guesthouse where there is a common toilet with no heater, no air-conditioning and the whole guesthouse runs on a generator that is only enough to sustain one light bulb in outside our room that only switched on from 6-10pm.

Oh yes, they have vicious mosquito.

After 10pm, you are on your own (and the mosquitos).

It was a weekend Agnes and I took a ferry to Bintan Resorts ferry terminal from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.



Upon arrival in Bintan Resorts ferry terminal, we have to take an hour cab ride to Mutiara Bintan.

It is a rustic guesthouse with a shared hostel accommodation and several pondoks (please check website for meaning).
When we were there, we were the only occupants.

Check out the surroundings.



When we "checked-in", the staff told us to wait a while. And a while we did wait, then we realized why.

He went to pluck coconut from the trees nearby to serve us our welcome drinks!



The staff then walked us to our "room".



The room is a hut. Very back to basic as you can see. There is no electricity. No fan, no cupboard no safe box, no light.

Just a bed, a table in between the beds to put the mosquitos coil and a candle.

But it did look cosy and comfortable enough.

Apparently, Agnes did her research and is aware the mosquitos there are VENOMOUS and VINDICTIVE.

We have to lay the ground to show the mosquitos whos the boss.

Spraying none-stop around our bed.





Mosquito coils that we light up all 4 corners of the hut.



We stayed a total of 3 days and 2 nights. And really, there is nothing to do except to go to the sand flies infested beach and go to the aroma river spa.

I really like the concept of the aroma river spa.

We did massage twice - once when we just arrived and was walking around to explore and another time on the 2nd day.

It is REALLY a river spa.



I hope I can explain the location proper.
Mutiara (where we stayed) is like .... Lucky Plaza in Orchard. The river spa is located at... Ngee Ann city location. To get there, we need to cross the river (machiam the traffic road inbetween). We can don't have to cross the river with a sampan and walk through a longer route like from Lucky Plaza to Paragon then to Ngee Ann City.

We walked there first.

The road to heaven is never easy.







On the way, we chanced upon ... Locations suitable for taking photos.



We have reached heaven!



Their massage is really solid. The price are around Singapore price but REALLY REALLY, they are good.

I don't mind doing a day trip just for it! But the travelling is quite a hassle lah from the ferry terminal to there and back again.

Let me show you the interior of the massage room.



1. Our massage room with twin bed
2. Small room
3. The comfortable bed but with one kind of a smell lah.
4. You know how after you are done with massage and such, there is a shower room for you? In Bintan, the showering room is a shower point within the room at the corner. They refill urns with water and you shower with ... a ladle.

Wonder why it is a called river spa? Because it is located on a river! The huts are built on the stilts on the river.

The massage is really good.

No mosquitos there!
Plus 100 points.

We took a sampan back. Heehee.





As this is only a guesthouse with a generator only for a light bulb, there were no other entertainment except to hang out by the sand flies infested beach and massage.

In fact, for meals we had to have it in-house. Meals aren't that cheap but since there is no other choice, we had to settle with what they had.

They do have a menu that consists of the usual malay food like Mee Goreng, Nasi Goreng and such. I supposed it is due to the location, the food offered were not a lot and the maggi goreng is not the maggi goreng we have here.

Their maggi goreng... is the instant maggi goreng. Ha tasty nevertheless!

Breakfast is included and on 2nd day, the breakfast were pancakes!
Yummy yummy pancakes.



I brought a book to read there.

But it was damn annoying with the mosquitos. I literally held up the mosquito coil, sat outside and read.
But after a while, I had to give up.

The mosquitors are poison.

But for some reasons, Agnes were able to tolerate them more than me.

Evidence of my badly poison-ed body.



On the second night, Agnes took out her fire sparkles and we played and laughed hysterically.
Ha sorry no photos of me coz I wear till very chui and very auntie.





For some reason, I can't remember clearly how our 3 days 2 nights passed.

Just remembered the first night I slept soundly, second night I woke up in the middle of the night wanting to pee but it was so damn dark, I tahan till I see day light.

And I didn't sleep while I tahan so that wee hours was miserable for me. Afraid to step out for the mosquitos are too active but felt bit warm in my bed.



It was good time spent with pumpkin still :D :D :D



To end this post, let me share with you 2 of my favourite photos.



HAHAHAHA

And heehee, added some effect for the feeling.